Mumbai: Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar on Friday fanned speculation that he could return as Goa CM if the BJP was voted back to power.
When asked about BJP leader and Union minister Nitin Gadkari’s statement that a leader in Delhi could be made CM of Goa if party MLAs decide, Parikkar said, “As far as I am concerned, lets cross the bridge when we come to it.”
He made the comments while on the campaign trail in Goa.
Gadkar was quoted by the media at a press conference at the BJP office in Panaji on Thursday saying that after the elections, the elected MLAs will choose their leader as chief minister. “If the elected MLAs cannot decide on their leader, then the Parliamentary Board can get a central leader,” he said.
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, who was handpicked by Parikkar when he moved to Delhi to become Defense Minister in Narendra Modi’s cabinet, is among the 29 candidates announced by the BJP so far. However, the party has decided not to announce a CM candidate.
Parikkar is the BJP’s star campaigner in Goa and has increasingly been spending more time in the state.
The Aam Aadmi Party which hopes to mount a serious challenge in the state told CNN News18 the BJP’s suggestion that Parikkar could return was desperate move by the ruling party. Senior leader Somnath Bharti said it is a last ditch effort at retaining power.
Comments
0 comment